ChatGPT has been a point of conversation amongst many professionals in many industries. The question always ended up being, ‘Is this good for the future of our industry?‘ And the video game world is no different.
Out of all the entertainment mediums, AI is most prevalent in gaming. The enemies we fight and the comrades we fight along with are all programmed by hard-working and extremely talented game developers who give their hearts and souls to make sure that we get the best and most interactive experiences ever.
But now with ChatGPT, the question arises, “Will this replace game developers?” or maybe a little more directly, “Has it had a positive impact on gaming?” Let’s discuss how the AI tool has been integrated into gaming, the pros and cons, and if it has had any real impact on the industry as a whole.
ChatGPT in Gaming – What Could its Main Purpose Be?
As of December 2023, not many games have integrated ChatGPT too heavily into their core systems. Mostly, some smaller titles are using it as a selling point and as a gimmick that their game uses AI to create new and unique experiences.
This is most commonly seen with dialogue options. As our RPG lovers are aware, there are only a set number of dialogue options to choose from and a set number of reactions that NPCs can have. Using technology like ChatGPT, this problem can be eradicated. Imagine an RPG with limitless potential. a true role-playing experience that isn’t predetermined by a human game developer.
We may be a bit too far off from that future, but some efforts have been made to somewhat implement a feature like this. For example, one game that caught the public eye was Vaudeville. Developed by BumbleBee Studios, the game was touted as ‘the first AI-driven detective game‘.
The game was clearly experimental, but it used AI to form new interactions in real time. You could interact with NPCs with your keyboard or your microphone, and they would reply with unique answers. All this was aimed at completely immersing you in your own detective story.
The game wasn’t the best; after all, it was still experimental, but it solidified the concept that maybe technology like this does, in fact, have a place in the gaming landscape.
But what if ChatGPT was used to write the story, compute the narrative, and develop the characters? That’s exactly what the indie title Whisper in the Woods did. The game is created by ChatGPT, while it’s imagined by Midjourney.
According to the game’s official page, GPT was responsible for the story, while Midjourney was used for presentation purposes, such as concept art and the title card. But what’s fascinating is that the game’s puzzles, battles, and overall gameplay were still developed by a human developer. So, for the time being, it seems that no matter what, we still need human developers for our video games.
A Reddit thread dove quite deep into why developers may actively hate ChatGPT. Titled ‘Developers who despise chatGPT?’, the thread’s purpose was to determine why one would hate the prospect of using the AI generative tool, especially when it can be used to solve so many problems.
Many have listed their own gripes with it, but the one that stuck out the most was the top comment by u/Lobolp. To summarize their feelings, it seems that even with highly descriptive prompts, ChatGPT most of the time just misses the mark and produces incorrect code even for more complex things, such as making a 3D dice roll.
If ChatGPT can’t make a 3D dice roll, maybe it’s not too well cut out for game development right now. But, say, in the near future, with the recent advent of GPT-4, it could be used to solve game development problems. What could be the pros and cons of this?
Possible Pros of ChatGPT and AI Tools in the Video Game Industry
We’ve already discussed how AI tools can be utilized in RPG games, but what about the process of game development? Game development is a lengthy process. And nowadays, when these games come out, they are still filled to the brim with horrible bugs that completely destroy the experience. A prime example of this is Cyberpunk 2077.
The game had been in development for 9 years, and by the time it came out, it was a complete mess that didn’t just live up to the hype but completely delivered on what fans thought could’ve been the next GTA.
So, in the future, ChatGPT could be used to speed up the process of tasks, however minute they may be, giving developers more time to focus on the important stuff. Even with this in mind, we have to remember that ChatGPT isn’t a replacement; it’s a tool to be used.
Contrary to conspiracy theorists’ beliefs, ChatGPT and AI aren’t replacing anyone anytime soon. It can be helpful, but it can’t be an out. Tools like GPT could possibly be used to speed up the process of game development, especially since some publishers are incredibly eager to announce their projects incredibly early in production.
Bugs have been a massive thorn in the backs of gamers and developers since what feels like forever. Every new major release seems like it’s completely broken when it comes out, and if it isn’t, it’s treated like a bastion of game design, when in reality, every game should already be like that in the first place.
Now these AI tools are still incredibly young, and you could even call them still immature, but given due time, they could be used to ease out some of these bugs and, in general, make the hellish world of game development slightly more tolerable for game developers. Overall, it may even reduce the crunch in our industry.
It seems like it may be too good to be true, which it is right now, but tools like GPT could genuinely be used in creative ways. You can already generate code for languages like C++, Python, HTML, JavaScript, etc. Proper integration in game development could be the next big thing for ChatGPT.
Possible Cons of ChatGPT and AI Tools in the Video Game Industry
We’ve already talked about how tools like ChatGPT won’t be replacing game devs anytime soon. They’re nowhere near as advanced as the capabilities of the human brain. Currently, most of the games that are powered by ChatGPT and AI tools, like the ones mentioned above, are still experimental.
But what if publishers start using these tools to cut corners? The creativity of the human mind is unparalleled. You can’t replace that with AI. Particularly when it comes to the stories we experience in games, what makes us resonate with the world and the characters is the human touch that allows us to relate.
Games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Ghost of Tsushima heavily rely on player emotions. As such, the creator behind the game has to be human; otherwise, what is there to feel?
It brings us back to the point that tools like ChatGPT do have a place in the industry of our beloved medium, but they are merely tools to further realize the vision that the developer has in mind.
So, to answer the question, ‘Has it had a positive impact on gaming?‘, yes, it has, but the impact is nowhere near as great as one could’ve hoped. It’s still a gimmick, but with proper time and investment, tools like GPT could genuinely shape the future of gaming, or, inversely, could also destroy the creative aspect all together.
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